Madison Duran

I am a third generation Mexican-American, also known as a chicana. I've lived in San Carlos with my parents and siblings since I was born, in 2005. Unfortunately, almost all of my extended family lives in Southern California, in the area my grandmother's family settled in upon immigrating to the US. Now, I've known that I am Hispanx/Latinx/Chicanx since I was a little kid. I remember one time my parents were reminding me that I was Hispanic, and I got all confused. I said "... but wouldn't I be 'her-Spanish'? not 'his-Spanish'?" For a long time that was the extent of my connection to my Latinx identity and culture. But, as I grew up, I began to participate in our annual tamale making day, ask questions about my ancestors experiences, and learn how Latinx heritage impacts the core values of my extended family, who has been immersed in the culture, versus my own, who has been distanced from it. In the last two years especially, I've grown to appreciate how, despite the vast differences in experience and culture within the Latinx community, we still all come together to form just that, an everlasting community."